Shopping in Diagon Alley had been a dream of Adeline's as much as getting her acceptance letter had been. Of course she had been there before, helping her father sell jewelry whenever he had the spare time. She had memories of the street itself, but never the shops inside. Her father made it very clear that the time for all of that would come one day.
Coincidentally, today happened to be that lucky day. Addie breathed in the smells of the street, her and her parents walking hand in hand, a checklist to be tackled. Most everything had already been purchased, a cauldron, her robes, crystal phials. All of the shops amazed Adeline. Talking mirrors, potion ingredients, magical creatures, and more. Her senses were thrilled. The shopping hadn't been too difficult, but Adeline had been holding one thing on the list off.
The wand.
The Spinks family slowed their strides- they had arrived. The old, dark facade of Ollivander's loomed in front of them. Adeline turned to her parents, trying her hardest to swallow down her nervousness. She grasped her coin pouched tightly. 'Now remember, my dear.." Her father started, his tone becoming suddenly serious. "It is quite true what they say. The wand really does choose the wizard." He smiled warmly.
A young boy exited the shop, and Adeline's mother perked up "Now is your chance." She straightened the girls coat and offered her a hug, which Addie greatly accepted. "Hurry in, now!" Her mother tapped her shoulder firmly, gesturing towards the shop.
Adeline entered. It was dimly lit, and cramped. Wand boxes were precariously stacked as far up, down, and all around as Addie could imagine. She swallowed, before cautiously calling out. "Mr.Ollivander?" For a moment, she heard no reply, no sound. Just as she was about to call again, he appeared. An aged man, with wild white hair and bright eyes. He had an aura of wisdom, as much as he oozed whimsy. "It is always a great day when a wand meets it's wizard." Ollivander paced across the floor towards Adeline, grabbing various wands from shelves as he did so. "Now, shall we?" Olivander looked to Adeline, a comforting smile spread across his face. He seemed to be studying her. What did he see? The girl nodded shakily. She was ready.
The first wand was an utter failure. Elm and Snallygaster, 29 cm, flimsy. Absolutely NOT the wand. The next was a bit better, instead of setting fire to a stack of books, it simply did nothing for her at all. Cedar and Pheonix Feather-clearly not ideal. Birch and Veela hair? Considering the look on Olivanders face, most definitely not. Spruce and Unicorn hair? Lackluster at best.
The process was starting to feel a bit...scary. What if it was all a mistake? What if nothing worked?
Olivander reached for the last wand in his stack. I had a sneaking suspicion that it would come down to this. Olivander smiled. "Exactly thirty five centimeters, cherry wood, and dragon heartstring." He pulled the wand from its dusty box. "Quite rigid, cheeky,and malicious, this wand is perfect for wizards that can take it to exciting and amusing adventures."
Adeline grabbed the wand and with no thought or hesitation blurted, "But.. I hate Cherries." Olivander let out a hardy laugh. "Peculiar, isn't it. Give it a wave."
The girl did just that. Suddenly, a swarm of small stars sprung to life above them, a swirling night sky danced above their heads. She had done it! Wind swept their hair about, and the dust on the wand boxes, previously undisturbed, was clouding up the shop. Olivander reached out and grabbed Adeline's hand with a bewildered smile. "I knew it almost as soon as you came in." He started, as the display of magic slowly tapered. "You may feel as though your are weak, but that could not be further from the truth. You may struggle at first... but you will undoubtedly grow into the power of this wand. Cherry and Dragon heartstring are a notorious combo, you know." His expression changed to a slightly strained one. "Many Powerful wizards, good, and bad, have wielded a wand with these very components. Use it well, Adeline. Do not let it use you." Her excitement was suddenly throttled. What could he mean? He had to be mistaken, Adeline surely was not destined to be, of all things, powerful. Regardless, this wand chose her, she would be its owner.
The door opened, a set of twins entered the shop, bewildered by the still-swirling dust. Olivander chuckled. "You should get going." He said, turning towards his new customers. Adeline started to leave when she heard the old man's voice ring out one last time, "And try to have some confidence in yourself. It surely does. Addie paused, clutched her wand tightly before replying, "I will, sir. T-thank you."
